The Lakeland Police Department responded to an aircraft incident at Sun 'n Fun Int'l Fly-In & Expo a day before the opening of the big air show.
Officials say a 2016 experimental amateur built aircraft experienced difficulty while trying to land at the Sun 'n Fun Air Show at approximately 6:24 p.m. on Monday.
Sun 'n Fun Int'l Fly-In & Expo takes to the skies over Lakeland this week
The experimental airplane had a hard landing, causing the front wheel to collapse and the plane to flip forward on runway 8-26. The pilot was Steven Gerard Felix, a 54-year-old student pilot from Alexandria, Virginia. He was not injured.
The runway was closed for approximately 30 minutes while emergency personnel responded to the scene.
The plane was moved to a secured location and FAA personnel responded to the scene for a preliminary investigation.
